Method and apparatus for dyeing a continuous length of yarn

ABSTRACT

A takeup roll is rotated to wind a continuous length of yarn thereupon. During winding of the yarn, dye spray nozzles positioned adjacent to the yarn on the takeup roll discharges dye onto the yarn for dyeing said yarn.

fited States Patent [151 mmdma Newman 51 an. 21, 119 72 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR [561 References Cited IDYEING A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF UNITED STATES PATENTS YARN 1,752,712 4/1930 Uttrich... ..68/205 R [72] Inventor: Richard C- Newton, Bartlesvllle, Okla. 2 093 40 Schiebm..." 73 Assignee; Phillips petroleum Company 3,227,134 1/1966 Wagner ..68/205 R X [22] Filed: 1970 Primary Examiner--William 1. Price [21] App]. No.: 64,441 Attorney-Young and Quigg s7 ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl. ..8/l49, 8/155, 68/205 R [5]] Int. Cl. ..]B05c 5/00 A takeup is te 10 Wind 11 Continuous length of yarn [58] Field of Search ..8/149, 155; 68/205 R, 202 thereupon During winding of the y y p y nozzles p tioned adjacent to the yarn on the takeup roll discharges dye onto the yarn for dyeing said yarn.

13 C m 2 Dr w F ur Patented March 21, 1972 3,650,674

as a 36 IO F/G. 2 i

a9 a. 2A a 6 M WI I i f INVENTOR. F/G R. c. NEWTON ATTORNEYS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYEING A CONTINUOUS LENGTHv OF YARN In yarn manufacturing, it is desirable to provide an apparatus and method for dyeing the yarn during the winding of the yarn to form a yarn package.

This invention therefore resides in an apparatus and method for winding a continuous length of yarn to form a yarn package and dyeing said yarn during the winding thereof. It is also an object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for dyeing the yarn different colors alongthe length of said yarn. Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawing.

The drawings are diagrammatic views of the apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 1 shows a frontal view of the apparatus and FIG. [I shows a side view of the apparatus. Referring to FIG. I, a yarn 2 discharging from a spinning process, a yarn storage, or other yarn processes (not shown), is fed to a windup assembly and is wound around a longitudinal takeup roll 4. The takeup roll 4 is rotated about its longitudinal axis by power means 6 such as an electric motor, for example. A traversing means 8 (better seen in FIG. II) is associated with the yarn 2 for guiding a continuous length of yarn along the length of the takeup roll 4 during rotation of the roll and resultant winding of the yarn 2 onto said roll 4. The type of traversing means 8 that is employed can be of several types known in the art which guide the yarn for forming a neat yarn package 10 on the takeup roll 4.

At least two dye spraying nozzles, preferably a plurality of dye spraying nozzles I2, l4, l6 and 18, for example, are each positioned adjacent to the takeup roll 4 at spaced apart locations along the length of said roll 4. A dye reservoir 20, 22, 24 and 26 is connected to each of the nozzles 12, 14, 16 and 18 and means is associated with the reservoir for passing dye from each dye reservoir through its associated nozzle and onto yarn wound about the adjacent takeup roll 4. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, an air source (not shown) is connected to each reservoir 20, 22, 24 and 26, for example, by an air line 28 for pressurizing the dye contained within each reservoir. The dye discharges from a reservoir and into its associated nozzle though a line, for example, line 30. A regulating valve 32 is preferably provided in the line 30 for controlling the rate of dye discharging from the nozzle 12 associated with that reservoir 20, and a solenoid valve 35 is provided in line 30, downstream of the regulating valve 32 for controlling the spraying sequence of each nozzle. Referring to FIG. I], it is also preferred that a controlling means 34 be associated with the nozzles l2, l4, l6 and 18 in the traversing means 8 for controlling the actuation and termination of dye discharging from each nozzle for the spraying of dye from a single nozzle during only that period when yarn is being wound on that longitudinal portion of the takeup roll 4 that is spanned by dye from said single nozzle. That means can comprise for example, an electrically operated switch such as a relay controlling solenoid valve 35 and operably connected to a plurality of electric eye traversing means positioning switches (not shown) positioned along the length of the takeup roll 4. Other switching devices such as electrical contacts on a guide rail 36 over which the operating traversing means passes can be utilized to actuate the solenoid valve 35 of controlling means 34.

The apparatus has been described with reference to a single reservoir, line, nozzle and controlling means system for simplicity. As shown on the drawing, each reservoir or portion of the reservoirs can be provided with a similar individual system depending upon the desires of the operator and the amount of control he desires over the apparatus.

One suggested modification that can be made is to provide a single reservoir for more than one nozzle. This is a useful modification where the dye colors are, for example, two colors and the takeup roll is of a length sufficient to require four nozzles for desired coverage. Another modification is to space the nozzles along the length of the takeup roll 4 such that only portions of the yarn along the length of the roll is dyed. This nozzle arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 where yarn segment 38 is not contacted by dye sprayed from adjacent nozzles 14 and 16.

In the method of this invention a yarn is continuously passed to the takeup roll 4. The takeup roll 4 is rotated by the power means 6 causing yarn to be wound about the roll 4. A traversing means 8 guides the yarn along the roll during winding of the yarn around the roll 4 for forming a neat yarn package 10. During rotation and resultant winding of the yarn 2 about the roll 4, dye is discharged from a dye reservoir through a nozzle and onto a portion of the adjacently positioned yarn package. Air passing through line 28 and into the reservoir can supply the driving means for forcing the dye through the nozzles. That driving force can also be provided by the elevation of the reservoir relative to the elevation of the nozzles through which the dye contained therein passes. A different colored dye is provided in each adjacently positioned nozzle for dyeing the yarn with different colors along the length of the yarn.

In order to conserve dye and control the amount of dyeing performed on segments of the yarn, dye is preferably discharged from a single nozzle only during the period when yarn is being wound on the portion of the roll that is spanned by dye from that particular single nozzle. Further control over the amount of dyeing imparted to a unit length of the yarn is accomplished by regulating the rate at which dye is discharged from at least one of the nozzles. By carefully controlling the rate of dye discharged and sizing the nozzle apertures, it is possible to form dyed yarn portions that are speckled or varied in color and not dyed a solid color over the unit yarn length. It should also be understood that the color variations, spacings, relative positions, intervening dyed portions, and intensity of dyeing can be altered by changing the nozzle size, relative spacing, and the dye discharge rate. Other apparatus can be connected to the controlling means 34 for randomly altering and interrupting the operation thereof. The controlling and regulating means of the dye system can be provided on one, all, or any portion of the reservoir nozzle systems.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawing and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for dyeing yarn comprising:

continuously passing the yarn to a longitudinal takeup roll;

rotating the takeup roll for winding the yarn about the takeup roll;

providing at least two dye spraying nozzles adjacent to the yarn positioned on the takeup roll at spaced apart locations along the length of the takeup roll; and

passing a different color dye through each adjacent positioned nozzle and onto the yarn at the takeup roll during winding of the yarn on said takeup roll for dyeing the yarn with different colors along the length of the yarn.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including passing dye onto the yarn at spaced apart locations along the length of the takeup roll for dyeing only portions of the yarn along the length of said yarn.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including selectively intermittently spraying dye from a single nozzle onto the yarn in the takeup roll, and controlling the actuation and termination of dye discharging from each nozzle for spraying of dye from a single nozzle during only that period when yarn is being wound on that longitudinal portion of the takeup roll that is spanned by dye from that single nozzle.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including controlling the rate at which the dye is discharged from at least one of the nozzles for varying the amount of dye imparted from that nozzle to a unit length of yarn.

5. An apparatus for dyeing at least portions of a continuous length of yarn, comprising:

a longitudinal takeup roll having a longitudinal axis:

means connected to the takeup roll for rotating said roll about its longitudinal axis;

traversing means for guiding a continuous length of yarn along the length of the takeup roll during rotation of the roll and winding of yarn onto said roll;

at least two dye spraying nozzles, each positioned adjacent to the takeup roll at spaced apart locations along the length ofsaid roll;

a dye reservoir connected to each of the dye spraying nozzles; and

means for passing dye from each dye reservoir through its associated nozzle and onto yarn wound about the adjacent takeup roll.

6. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5, including controlling means associated with the nozzles and a transverse means for controlling the actuation and termination of dye discharged from each nozzle for spraying of dye from a single nozzle during only that period when yarn is being wound on that longitudinal portion of the takeup roll that is spanned by dye from said single nozzle.

7. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5,, including a regulating valve associated with at least one of the dye reservoirs for controlling the rate of dye discharging from the nozzle associated with that reservoir.

8. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5, including providing a plurality of nozzles, at least two of said nozzles being spaced one from the other along the length of the takeup roll a distance sufficient to separate a distance one from the other the dye sprays discharging from said nozzles. 

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including passing dye onto the yarn at spaced apart locations along the length of the takeup roll for dyeing only portions of the yarn along the length of said yarn.
 3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including selectively intermittently spraying dye from a single nozzle onto the yarn in the takeup roll, and controlling the actuation and termination of dye discharging from each nozzle for spraying of dye from a single nozzle during only that period when yarn is being wound on that longitudinal portion of the takeup roll that is spanned by dye from that single nozzle.
 4. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including controlling the rate at which the dye is discharged from at least one of the nozzles for varying the amount of dye imparted from that nozzle to a unit length of yarn.
 5. An apparatus for dyeing at least portions of a continuous length of yarn, comprising: a longitudinal takeup roll having a longitudinal axis: means connected to the takeup roll for rotating said roll about its longitudinal axis; traversing means for guiding a continuous length of yarn along the length of the takeup roll during rotation of the roll and winding of yarn onto said roll; at least two dye spraying nozzles, each positioned adjacent to the takeup roll at spaced apart locations along the length of said roll; a dye reservoir connected to each of the dye spraying nozzles; and means for passing dye from each dye reservoir through its associated nozzle and onto yarn wound about the adjacent takeup roll.
 6. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5, including controlling means associated with the nozzles and a transverse means for controlling the actuation and termination of dye discharged from each nozzle for spraying of dye from a single nozzle during only that period when yarn is being wound on that longitudinal portion of the takeup roll that is spanned by dye from said single nozzle.
 7. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5,, including a regulating valve associated with at least one of the dye reservoirs for controlling the rate of dye discharging from the nozzle associated with that reservoir.
 8. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5, including providing a plurality of nozzles, at least two of said nozzles being spaced one from the other along the length of the takeup roll a distance sufficient to separate a distance one from the other the dye sprays discharging from said nozzles. 